where couture met caffeine

From October 15th to 19th, Anfu Road in Shanghai’s former French Concession transformed into a surreal spectacle of clouds, couture, and coffee. Lavazza and Moschino’s flow — titled Espresso Your Style — brought together two of Italy’s most expressive cultural exports: fashion and espresso. Now that the pop-up has closed, Shanghai’s creative scene is still abuzz with reactions, photographs, and memories of one of the most whimsical brand experiences of the year.

The pop-up took over No.193 Anfu Road, blending Lavazza’s deep-rooted coffee heritage with Moschino’s cheeky, theatrical aesthetic. The result was part café, part art installation, and part fashion fantasy — a temporary universe where the aroma of coffee mingled with the visual language of the runway. Visitors described it as “a caffeine-fueled dream,” a space where Italian humor met Shanghai’s creative pulse.

At the center of it all floated the now-famous goose: a colossal white figure donning Moschino’s boat hat, seen from blocks away, sipping an espresso cup as if it were the season’s must-have accessory. It became a local sensation — shared across Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Instagram — symbolizing the spirit of Espresso Your Style: playful, elegant, and utterly unpredictable.

the italian dreamscape

Adrian Appiolaza, Moschino’s creative director, infused the project with the same surrealist whimsy that defined his debut collections for the house earlier this year. The pop-up became a physical manifestation of Moschino’s narrative world — at once humorous and high-fashion.

Lavazza, meanwhile, brought its century-old mastery of espresso-making into this dreamlike setting, balancing artistry with hospitality. Together, they crafted an atmosphere that blurred the boundaries between consumption and performance. “It felt like walking into a painting,” said one visitor, referencing the ceiling-high clouds and mirrored installations that surrounded each guest with a sense of buoyant escapism.

For locals, Anfu Road — known for its tree-lined streets, European façades, and boutique cafés — provided the perfect canvas. The area’s cosmopolitan charm resonated deeply with the project’s goal: to merge Italian craftsmanship with Chinese modern lifestyle culture. Over five days, it drew fashion insiders, influencers, and tourists alike, forming queues that wrapped around the block.

reaction

Shanghai’s fashion and lifestyle community embraced the event as more than a brand activation — it was a social happening. Editors from Elle China and Vogue Me documented the pop-up across their platforms, praising its “dreamlike synthesis of taste and texture.” Coffee enthusiasts noted Lavazza’s attention to detail, with signature blends served in limited-edition Goose Espresso cups that many later collected as keepsakes.

On Xiaohongshu, users described the experience as “healing,” “artful,” and “very Moschino.” The event’s playful tone struck a chord with younger audiences, who saw in it an antidote to the seriousness of luxury branding. As one post put it, “It’s luxury without pretension — a reminder that style can also smile.”

Social media also amplified the imagery: a kaleidoscope of mirrors, clouds, and cappuccino foam dominated feeds under the hashtag #EspressoYourStyle. The pop-up became a symbol of cross-cultural creativity — a reminder that luxury could engage not only through exclusivity, but through joyful participation.

the experience zones revisited

The Limited-Time Coffee Bar served as the centerpiece. Designed with Moschino’s colorful visual language, it offered three exclusive drinks crafted by Lavazza’s F&B experts. The “Goose Cloud Latte,” a creamy blend topped with marshmallow foam, became the crowd favorite. The “Espresso Couture” featured chocolate undertones and edible gold leaf — a nod to the decadence of the runway. Meanwhile, the “Lavazza x Moschino Sparkle” drink surprised guests with a shot of espresso infused with tonic and lemon peel.

The Sky Mirror Photo Zone proved irresistible to content creators. Visitors queued for photos inside the mirrored chamber, where cloud props and reflections multiplied infinitely, turning selfies into surreal compositions. The effect recalled the spirit of Moschino’s runway shows — witty, glamorous, and self-aware.

Finally, The Cloud Garden Terrace on the upper level offered a moment of calm. Surrounded by potted greenery and light jazz, guests could sit under floating cloud sculptures while sipping their drinks. Tote bags and Goose Espresso cups were available for purchase, but many items sold out within the first three days — particularly the co-branded tote, which became a street-style hit across Shanghai.

idea

What made Espresso Your Style resonate wasn’t just its aesthetic, but its cultural dialogue. Lavazza and Moschino — both born from Italy’s exuberant design tradition — found common ground in Shanghai’s appetite for experiential storytelling. For Lavazza, the pop-up extended its ongoing expansion in China, where the brand has positioned itself not merely as a coffee provider but as an ambassador of Italian lifestyle.

For Moschino, it marked another chapter in Adrian Appiolaza’s effort to reenergize the house’s identity. Since taking the creative reins earlier this year, Appiolaza has leaned into Moschino’s history of irony and joy — qualities that found perfect expression in this temporary café. The goose, the clouds, the whimsy — they weren’t random motifs, but callbacks to Franco Moschino’s legacy of making people smile through design.

The flow also reflected a broader trend in luxury marketing: the fusion of fashion and food. As consumers crave experiences over objects, brands like Moschino and Lavazza are crafting spaces that blur art, retail, and gastronomy. The Shanghai pop-up showed that a cup of espresso, when served in the right context, can communicate as much about identity and taste as a designer handbag.

legacy

When the installation closed its doors on October 19th, it left behind more than souvenir cups and tote bags — it left a cultural impression. For five days, Espresso Your Style turned a corner of Shanghai into a miniature Italy suspended in clouds. Visitors described it as both playful and poetic, a reminder that in an age of digital fatigue, physical experiences still hold emotional power.

Lavazza and Moschino’s teams celebrated the success with a closing evening attended by stylists, influencers, and Shanghai creatives. As the last espresso was poured and the lights dimmed beneath the feathered goose, the event had already become legend — a pop-up that managed to turn coffee into couture and style into a shared sensory memory.

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